This is something I put together for a producer handbook at ESPN Radio...Feel free to use this to your advantage...
PRODUCING A LIVE SPORT-TALK RADIO SHOW
Producing a sports-talk radio show is a wild and exciting ride. The adrenaline rush of producing a live show is one of the most exhilarating experiences in the industry!
As a sports-talk radio producer, the responsibilities include booking the show’s guests, developing the show's content (deciding what we should talk about, why we should talk about it, when we should talk about it, how long we should talk about it, and what we can do to make it more compelling), running the show's ideas meetings, and serving as the show’s point person for all of ESPN Radio’s affiliates, sales staff, and thousands of publicists all over the country. It is the producers’ job to see that the show is growing by way of ratings. Ratings drive all of our ad revenues, and the producer is responsible to improve the show’s ratings on a quarterly basis. That is quite a lot of responsibility, but it is a challenge that should motivate all producers!
THE KEYS TO BEING A STRONG PRODUCER…
Organization…There are so many moving parts to producing a live show that it is essential that organization is a top priority. Without organization, even the best idea generator fails as a producer. You are counted on to be the manager of the ship and you must find a style of organization that best suits you. If you are not highly organized, you will be eaten up quickly and you will not last as a producer. Figure out a system that works best for you!
Communication…Whether it’s with the talent or the production team, the producer of the show is the manager of the crew. Be open and honest with your team. The relationship you build with your talent will determine whether you are the right producer for the show. Quality sports-talk producing is a team game. If the producer and talent have differing priorities, it will be evident on the air and the product will drop in quality. You don’t have to be best friends with your talent, but they must respect you. One way to get their respect is by communicating your priorities to them and always being truthful with them. Without having their trust, they will tune you out in a heartbeat.
Hard working…Another way to build a strong relationship with your talent – show them how hard you’re willing to work to support them. There is no limit as to how hard you can work. Whether it’s story ideas, researching facts, booking guests, or cutting audio. And you’ll soon hear that the show will reap the benefits from your hard work. And speaking of hard work, PREPARE for everything! Be one step ahead of the curve and be ready for breaking sports stories. Your ability to think and react on the fly will go a long way in determining your success as a producer. Without being prepared, success will not be the end result.
Idea Generator/Thought Provoker…Do not depend on the talent to come up with all of the ideas. It is the producer’s job to stimulate compelling topics to make stories more interesting. With every headline that you read in the paper, a producer should ask themselves how to dissect the story and look at it from every angle. Build a topic tree to see what storylines can be born from each diverse headline. Challenge yourself to think how the story can be advanced, what guests to book, etc. And don’t be afraid to throw ideas out there. The goal is to build a tight enough relationship with the talent that you should never be ashamed to throw an idea at them. Even if they deem it a bad idea. You need to continuously keep throwing darts if you’re going to hit a bullseye.
Be a Leader/You are the Rock…As the manager of the team, a producer should always hold their emotions in check. If you overreact to an issue, your talent will overreact which could throw them off their game affecting the on-air product. Think of yourself as a leader at all times and that your emotions will set the tone for the entire staff. You are a psychologist/head coach/motivator all at the same time. That is your role as producer…embrace it. And if you are managing a production team, conduct yourself in a way that they will follow your leadership. Be sure to involve the whole team, give everyone recognition when they deserve, and work hard to provide constructive criticism when necessary.
Go Getter/Initiator/Entrepreneur…Think of each show as a company you are starting. Take ownership of it. Build it from the ground up. Come up with creative ideas to grow and make it more exciting. Each show is your opportunity to sell the listeners on your great product. Never hesitate to think of new and creative ways to make your product better and always over-deliver to the customer/the listener.
Decisiveness…During a live show, a producer is counted on to make countless decisions. In a position with so much on the line, making timely decisions is a vital element. The end-all goal is to be on the same page as your talent so you are making the best possible decision for the good of the show. It is important to know that the decisions should not be made just to please the talent. The goal is to serve the listener…so the listener should be in mind with every decision that impacts the show.
Driven…Your initiative, creative energy and ambition can truly set your show apart. If you don’t look forward to producing each and every show, you should be doing something else.
Listen! Extremely important…and it doesn’t happen enough…listen to your show! With so many moving parts, it is hard to always listen to the show. Make it a priority to always be listening. The best ideas are born when you are listening because it allows you to think of ways to advance what your talent is saying. If you miss hearing the show, you lose the trust of your hosts and the creative freedom to extend topics. Listening is imperative.
DAY OF SHOW GUIDELINES…
PRE-SHOW…Content…content…content. Begin the day by sorting through the many sports headlines and begin determining the stories that you will be covering on the show. This is also the time to sort through all of the sound clips from the day in sports and decide which ones you will use to enhance the show. And determine how production can be utilized to improve the overall sound of the show. Meet with your talent and production team and setup a gameplan for the show. Sort through all of the day’s major sports stories, throw out many ideas, and discuss the angles and opinions for each of the stories. Create the building blocks for a show that is so compelling, so informative, so entertaining, so thought-provoking, and so fast-moving that the listeners would never even think of hopping stations!
DURING SHOW…While listening to the show, continue to scan the Internet and countless newspapers searching for pertinent articles and columns to enhance the stories you are covering. Most importantly, work closely with the talent to setup each and every one of the segments. There should be two-way dialogue before each and every segment. This way, more and more ideas are born.
POST-SHOW…As a staff, engage in a post-show meeting in which you discuss what you liked/disliked regarding the broadcast. This is also the time to plan for the following day’s show in terms of guests, story ideas, topics, and production. Then the desk portion of the job! This is the time to book guests, develop content for the following day’s show, and respond to pitches from publicists around the country.
The Keys to Quality Sports-Talk Radio
What all hosts and producers should strive for…
•• CLEAR & CONCISE
Speak in crisp, clean, and bold soundbytes.
•• OPINIONS
Speaking of bold soundbytes, strive to drive reactions and emotions with strong opinions. Set yourself apart from other hosts with unique views, outlooks, and analysis. Opinions are why people will come back to listen to you.
•• CREDIBILITY
While being bold, be sure to always maintain your credibility. Once it’s gone, you’ve lost your listeners and your platform. Do everything in your power to be factually accurate and truthful to your listeners.
•• RESET
You can not say who you are enough. Play it safe to avoid confusion. With listeners continually flipping stations, let them know who you are, who you’re working with, who your guest is, the name of the show, and what station you work for. Pound it in their heads and don’t let them forget! Try to create a sense of familiarity between yourself and the listeners. If they don’t know who or what they’re listening to, why would they ever be compelled to come back?
•• PLAY THE HITS
Talk about a big one! Don’t feel the need to fit in superfluous stories just for the sake of getting them into your show. Give your listeners your very best material at all times. If someone is in their car listening for only ten minutes, you want to make sure they hear your A+ material. Whether it’s the biggest news story, the best debate, or the best anecdote, don’t hesitate to repeat the material so diverse listeners always hear you at your best!
•• TEASE, TEASE, TEASE
This is the hosts’ opportunity to truly sell themselves and their product by giving listeners a compelling reason to stay tuned through commercial breaks. Every host should greatly look forward to teasing and should never miss an opportunity to do so. Give the listeners a reason to stay tuned! Drive that Time Spent Listening (TSL)! Wet their appetites and don’t let the thought of turning the channel even creep into their minds. Build a loyal base of listeners by keeping them intrigued at all times.
•• SELF PROMOTION
Sell yourself until you’re sick of doing so. Brand yourself, your co-hosts, and your guests to create a certain image and perception for your listeners. You have the great ability to influence their perception of you. For example, if you don’t tell listeners that your guest is an expert, why would they assume so? Sell, sell, sell yourself and the people you work with.
•• CROSS-PROMOTION
Familiarize your listeners with other hosts and shows on ESPN Radio. This is free advertising at its best! Give them strong reasons to be loyal listeners to your station. It will not only benefit those other shows, but it will benefit yours as well. The longer you keep people listening to your station, the better the odds are that they’ll come back to listen to you. Drive that TSL both during your show and others as well.
•• ON-TIME
If you promise updates every twenty minutes, you must deliver on that promise. Staying on the clock is a universal, elementary rule of radio.
•• TOPICS
Relate and convey the news of the day into strong topics that drive interest. Build topics with proper research, guests, and production. Topics can also play a major role in keeping listeners throughout breaks.
•• DRAW A REACTION
Along the lines of bringing opinions to the table, make sure your statements resonate. The best hosts are those that draw reactions from their listeners - whether positive or negative. If you just regurgitate facts, you’re going to have a hard time captivating people’s interests and curiosities.
•• DO YOUR HOMEWORK/BACK IT UP WITH FACTS
If you’re going to draw a reaction, be sure that you do your homework and back up your arguments with facts. You will not remain on the air for long if you don’t. Pay attention to details in your preparation and be able to deliver strong and accurate informative to your listeners.
•• ENERGY
Should be a given for everyone in radio. Why choose this industry if you don’t bring energy to the table? Energy is contagious and has the ability to make dull conversation seem exciting. Bring your show to life! Listeners will fall asleep on you (and turn the station) if you don’t.
•• COMPELLING PERSONAL STORYLINES
When you veer off of sports, entertain listeners with personable stories that they can relate to and find humorous. Don’t be afraid to mix in lifestyle and guy-talk. Rather than discussing dull social issues when switching gears, divulge personal anecdotes and even feel free to laugh at yourself. This is a great way to build a sense of affinity with your listeners. By familiarizing them to your personal life, they will feel that much closer to you. And they’ll hopefully want to come back to hear more! Remember that radio is the most intimate medium out there.
•• DON’T ALIENATE YOUR LISTENERS
One thing you do want to stay away from, however, is alienating your listeners. Always let them know where you’re coming from on views and opinions and never speak down to them. Also, strive not to come off as too presumptuous in your personal storylines. Listeners are the most important element to successful sports-talk radio. The goal is to keep them happy!.
•• BREVITY
Whether it’s an interview, feature, bit, story, or phone call, keep it brief and leave the listener wanting more! This then makes a tease that much more effective.